The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device (including a solid-state imaging device), a physical information acquiring apparatus (including an imaging apparatus), and a signal reading-out method.
A mode in which only information on partial unit elements is required (referred to as “an element selection mode”) such as a thinning-out mode in which information on unit elements for each predetermined interval is required or a cutting-out mode in which information on unit elements in a specific area is required is known in addition to an all-element mode in which information on all of unit elements in an element portion having unit elements disposed therein (preferably, an element array portion in which unit pixels are disposed in a matrix) (referred to as “a normal mode” as well). In addition, a system for accessing the unit elements for one row at the same time to read-out signals in rows (so-called column reading-out system) when signals are read out from the unit elements of the element array portion in which the unit elements are disposed in a matrix is used in some cases. When the element selection mode and the column reading-out system are used together with each other, this mode is referred to as “a column selection mode.” For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2001-298748 and 2007-142738 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Documents 1 and 2) describe the techniques of the column reading-out system and the column selection mode.